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"a bag of empty promises"

mwreview | Northern California, USA | 08/18/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I usually cannot get enough of Lizzy Borden's albums from Love You to Pieces through Master of Disguise. I also have played their last studio album Deal with the Deal quite a lot although it does not have the same magic as their earlier material. This double EP, however, I found to be a disappointment. There are a few gems, but are mostly made up of ringers and unmemorable tracks. It is my least favorite of Lizzy's studio releases.

It begins with the 1987 EP Terror Rising, which was released before Visual Lies which is, ironically, my favorite Lizzy album. The first track gave me high hopes. I love "White Rabbits" which was originally recorded by Jefferson Airplane. A fast, furious, and creative rocker with Alice in Wonderland lyrics "When logic and proportion have fallen soggy dead and the white knight is talking backwards and the red queen is off with her head." I've never heard the original version, but this one kicks! Unfortunately, it is all down hill from there. The punk "Don't Touch Me There" (originally done by the Tubes, I think) which includes guest vocalist Betsy from Bitch, is just silly. It is not Lizzy. "Catch Your Breath" is OK. It starts out as a slower, ballad track and then rocks out. It is not that memorable, though. "Terror Rising" is mostly distorted spoken word with Lizzy telling the evil creation in his mind that he must go. Of course, the evil one disagrees. It doesn't really go anywhere and fades out.

The bonus EP is Give `Em the Axe which was Lizzy's debut recording in 1984. Again, the best track is the first. The title track flat out kicks! Quintessential Lizzy brand of ferocious power metal with wicked lyrics. Excellent rocker! "Kiss of Death" is highlighted by Iron Maiden-esque guitar riffs. Other than that, it is not very memorable. "No Time to Lose" is a straight-forward rocker. The chorus is a little wishy washy for Lizzy. It is not memorable. It ends, though, on a solid note with an excellent rendition of Rainbow's classic "Long Live Rock `N Roll." There is a hidden track after "Long Live" that is a short punk/thrash track that doesn't go anywhere which makes me wonder why they bothered including it at all.

Terror Rising/Give `Em the Axe only offers three stand-out tracks which is not what I expect from a Lizzy Borden album. Mostly, it is a disappointment, especially considering how stellar their other albums are. The CD booklet is only two pages with lyrics in tiny print that include so many typos it is embarrassing (did anyone proof read it? I hope not because that would be pretty sad). No photos save for the one on the cover. Very unimpressive packaging."

Essential Lizzy!

mwreview | 01/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is classic 80's heavy metal at its best. The album is of the traditional Lizzy Borden style. If you enjoyed "Love You to Pieces" or "Menace to Society" at all, then this is a must-have CD. The band displays the same style as the previous albums, but definitely demonstrates uniqueness in providing the listener with new, exciting tunes. The listener will be shocked to hear some killer remakes. They turn "White Rabbit", formerly by Jefferson Airplane, inside out. I think it's better than the original, not to mention other attempts at it. Also, "Long Live Rock and Roll" is done in classic Lizzy style. The new tunes will also nail you between the eyes. You also have the macabre "Catch Your Death", which keeps the tradition of including something weird and strange on the album. This leads into "Terror Rising", which is probably the best (and worst) part of the album. The best part is that this has a beat that almost forces you to uncontrollably thrash your head back and forth until whiplash sets in! The bad part (and my only complaint at all about this album) is that it only lasts a minute or so. If this went for 5 minutes, we'd all need neck braces! Give 'Em the Axe, Kiss of Death, No Time to Lose, and Don't Touch Me There have the traditional two-axe attack going full throttle, while the lyrics, full of his normal sadistic twist of perversion and torture, are sung with the precision that only Lizzy can do. If you know Lizzy, then this is a must-have. If you don't, this would be an excellent CD to introduce you to their unique style. This will, in turn lead you to the other before-mentioned albums, then to one of the better live albums ever put together (Murderous Metal Road Show). These four are required for any 80's metalhead to have a decent collection."